


The day Donghun meet Junhee

by zibanejad



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Donghun!centrific, Emotional Abuse, Heejun is only lightly in it, It's an OG character, It's not Donghun, Kinda fluff?, Kinda sam with Byeongkwan and Sehyoon??, M/M, Same with Hangyeom, but still if it triggers you then please dont read!, kinda angst?, the abuse is only speculated and talked about, use of degrading words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-06 01:46:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15875934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zibanejad/pseuds/zibanejad
Summary: The first time Donghun met Junhee he had been naked. Normally he wouldn't greet strangers in just one small towel, but this time he could only blame his two roommates.[ READ TAGS FOR TRIGGER WARNINGS ]





	1. Chapter 1

The first time Donghun met Junhee he had been naked. Normally he wouldn't greet strangers in just one small towel, but this time he could only blame his two roommates. Donghun had just moved into a small apartment and found out that he didn't just have one roommate, but he got another one for free as his official roommate never seemed to be able to live without his boyfriend. Donghun had known his official roommate, Byeongkwan, since he was ten and they had ever since then been best friends. There were even a couple of months when Donghun joined Byeongkwan and his boyfriend, Sehyoon’s, relationship. He discovered that he didn’t have a problem with polyamory. Quite the opposite, he adored having a polyamorous relationship. But it felt like he was dating his brothers so Donghun stepped away from the relationship and let the two boys be with each other instead. None of the men let this stand in the way for their friendship though. Because Byeongkwan had offered Donghun to move into his apartment. 

Byeongkwan and Sehyoon were still dating which meant that Donghun couldn’t help but see them being affectionate with each other every second of the day. And no, Donghun wasn’t jealous thank you very much, that's at least what he said. Almost every time Donghun would go to make coffee both of them would be there together, baking, and giggling. Every time Donghun went into the living room to watch a movie, Sehyoon and Byeongkwan would already be occupying the sofa, drowning under a bunch of blankets, cuddling. If they weren't constantly showing their affection to each other right in front of Donghun, then they would be out on dates, and that was what they were doing just the day Donghun met Junhee for the first time.  
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Donghun opened the door and sighed. This was the third time in just two days that Byeongkwan had called him telling him he’d forgotten his keys. It would have been fine if Donghun had been at home, but the moment Byeongkwan had phoned Donghun was at the gym. When Donghun had seen the Caller ID, he had almost instantly rejected the call, but when Byeongkwan had bothered him for the fourth time, he couldn’t help but sigh and accept the call. Donghun had been at the gym for barely twenty minutes, but he was already sweaty. He looked at the clock over the kitchen sink and determined that he had at least thirty minutes before Byeongkwan would be back to collect his keys. He had time to shower.

As he was washing his black hair he couldn't help but imagine himself standing on stage, singing in front of a big audience who was screaming his name. When he put down the shampoo bottle, a thought came into his head. If he never actually tried to become a singer then he would never be able to actually live out his fantasy. If he tried to audition for an entertainment company then maybe he could live out his dream. The more he thought about it, the more he thought it sounded like a good idea. In his opinion, he didn’t look too bad and his singing was well above average, he was able to hold a high note with ease and nobody had ever complained about the way his singing had sounded. It was either that or he could join one of the idol programs he had seen in the advertisements on the television. Just as he was gonna tell himself that when he got out of the shower he should start looking into some companies, the doorbell rang. This left Donghun confused. He had barely been in the shower for ten minutes and he knew for a fact that Byeongkwan needed at least twenty minutes to be able to separate from Sehyoon before he was even able to start going home. The doorbell rang again, but Donghun couldn’t be bothered to open it yet. If Byeongkwan was gonna ruin his whole day just because he had forgotten his keys, then he could wait at least five more minutes outside the door until Donghun had finished showering. 

When it had gone barely ten seconds since the second doorbell rang someone started to furiously push it. Annoyed Donghun stepped out of the shower. He prayed that for just one day he wouldn’t be bothered by Byeongkwan’s annoying ass, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to shake that man off unless he himself was dead. In the search for a towel, he cursed Sehyoon for always three towels when he showered, Donghun just grabbed one small towel to protect himself. It wouldn’t be the first or last time Byeongkwan caught an accidental glimpse of Donghun half naked and he would probably just be happy to see such a beautiful body exposed. With angry stomps, he walked out of the bathroom and out in the hallway, almost slipping two times but that's not something Donghun would wanna admit. As soon as his hand touched the handle, he threw the door open. A pained cry came out of the person on the other side as the door hit them right in the face, throwing them down on the floor. Donghun felt guilty but couldn’t help but say,  
“That’s what you get, Byeongkwan”. When Donghun looked to the floor, the person he saw wasn’t Byeongkwan, but the prettiest man Donghun had ever seen. The man on the floor looked up at Donghun with slightly parted lips and watery eyes. He blinked a few times before carefully pulling his hand up and drying his nose on his sweater. As Donghun looked down on the man's sweater he finally realized that the man's nose was bleeding. The mysterious man looked at his bloody sweater paws, paused, and then looked Donghun in the eyes, before passing out right there on the hallway floor. In an attempt to save the man from the pain of landing with his head on the floor, Donghun had to quickly push his hands out to stabilize him. Only after he had tried, and miserably failed, to save the man did he realize that he had dropped his towel and was now standing naked over him. And to make things even better, Byeongkwan was now standing on the flight of stairs staring at them. 

“What the hell are you guys doing?”


	2. Chapter 2

The second time Donghun met Junhee, he was dressed, but he was just as embarrassed as the last time. Not only had Donghun managed to knock the other man out, but he had also managed to send him to the hospital. Sure, he had paid the hospital bills but it was just so embarrassing to have to recite the story every time a nurse had asked him what had happened. Since that day he had thankfully not run into the man. He was happy his embarrassment was saved from not seeing him again, but he couldn’t help but miss his beautiful face. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For the past days, Donghun had tried very hard to hide his embarrassed face from the handsome stranger. Every time he thought about what had happened, he couldn’t help blushing until he was red like a tomato. He was usually good with embarrassment, hell he had almost never felt embarrassed. Not even the time his science college professor had confronted him in front of the whole class about his choice of wearing hot pants, had he felt embarrassment. It was simply not in his nature to feel it, instead, he was used to sending off a sarcastic remark and then he would be over it. But the thought of the man confronting him about it quickened his breath and tied his tongue in knots. The thought of having the man in front of him, asking about it made him feel dizzy and just completely off the hook. So in his opinion, it would only be better to stay out of his way for as long as possible.

With that in mind, Donghun walked up the stairs of his apartment complex. As he was coming closer to his unit he could hear two people arguing, but pushed it aside and kept going. For every step he took, he heard the voices coming closer and closer. When he reached his floor, he was surprised to see that the bickering was happening right next to his door. He was even more shocked when he realised that one of the men was the one he had so desperately tried to avoid. As he tried to slip past the couple he couldn’t help but notice the streams of tears sliding down the mystery man’s cheeks. To avoid making eye contact, he dug into his brown bag to try to find his apartment key. In the background he could lightly hear the debate going on behind him.

“Do you realise how fucking long I waited at home? Huh?” The man’s voice was angry and Donghun couldn’t help but flinch. He knew he didn’t have a say in what was happening, but the voice sounded a little too rough for his liking. It made him nervous even if it wasn’t directed towards him. “I was at work and you were off, whoring yourself out in a hospital. Do you realise how ungrateful you are?” Donghun froze. He realised that the unknown man was angry because Donghun had sent the injured man to the hospital. He, really, shouldn’t pry into it but the thought of the man suffering because of something stupid Donghun had done, made him feel bad. But hearing how mad the other man was made him question if it was even worth it to intervene.

Donghun just knew he had to say something since he was the reason the man had been stuck in the hospital. Pulling his hand up from the bag, he held onto the strap to support himself. Sure it would probably be awkward but mystery man shouldn’t be to blame. But how could he even approach the squabbling pair? He might even make the situation worse. With that in mind, he decided that it was for the better to just be quiet and go back to his place. Once again picking up his key, he was halted by the mystery man’s sobs. He turned to face the pair, awkwardness be damned! 

“Excuse me, hey! I just wanted to say sorry for sending you to the hospital. I hope your head is feeling better. Oh also your nose, I didn’t mean to throw the door in your face.” 

An awkward silence filled the hallway. Oh God, what had he done? The two men were obviously in the middle of something and Donghun didn’t have the right to intervene. Before either of the two had a chance to say something, Donghun bowed and slid his key into the apartment door. He opened the door and threw it closed. He was such an idiot, was all he could think as he took off his jacket.


	3. Chapter 3

The third time Donghun met Junhee, he ended up letting him stay over at his apartment and held him as he cried. Donghun didn’t expect he would ever done such a thing. Still, what wouldn’t he do for the man with the pretty eyes?

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As Donghun went to throw away the trash, which he was sure consisted of at least thirty chips bags thanks to Sehyoon and Byeongkwan, he saw the mystery man sitting against the hallway wall. He couldn’t help but stare at him. Even though his face was bloated from crying, his eyes were red and he wore the same clothes as two days before, he still looked ravishing. His beauty almost made Donghun feel self-conscious. Donghun would never say that he wasn't beautiful. His sad droopy eyes, black wavy hair and well built body could draw in anyone, which he many times had used to his advantage. But if he would compare himself to the mystery man, then Donghun would look like a slave next to a king. He almost felt bad for looking at him, it felt like he was dirtying his beautiful looks. His beautiful skin was so smooth and full of melanin. Just seeing how bad the lightning was, he knew it wasn’t doing him the justice that he deserved. He knew that once he saw the man close to him, he would be able to see the radiating melanin for real. 

Every time Donghun’s eyes swept over the man’s face, he felt more and more lightheaded. The man was too beautiful for his own good, and the hidden bruises peeking out from the cover of his hoodie. His lips were red like strawberries. Seeing this, Donghun couldn’t help but bite his own lip. The man’s lips weren't too thin and not too plump- in Donghun’s eyes, they were perfect. The way they complimented the rest of his face was just amazing. He knew he shouldn’t think such thoughts about his neighbour, but he would just like to touch those lips to see if they are as soft as they look. Someone as beautiful as that deserved to be in a museum, being appreciated by everyone, not sleeping on the dirty floor of an apartment complex. His gaze swept across the man’s lips one more time before sliding up his face. Past the beautiful, full cheeks of the man, to his closed eyes. What Donghun didn’t expect was for the man to open his eyes in just that moment. Bewildered, Donghun turned around and sprinted down the stairs to the waste dump station. His cheeks felt like they were on fire and he was red like a tomato. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Donghun made sure to crawl up the last flight of stairs to make sure the beautiful man wasn't looking his way. This gave him many weird stares from his fellow apartment inhabitants who passed him. He just wrote it off as him roleplaying “Mission Impossible” which gave him even stranger stares. Donghun noted that using Mission Impossible as an excuse didn’t work for everything and that he needed a new excuse for next time, because this would probably not be the last time Donghun would be found crawling up the stairs. 

As he saw the man’s eyes were closed, Donghun snuck across the floor to his apartment door. Trying to not drop the key, he was too focused to notice that the mystery man had stood up and was leaning against the wall. He was just watching as Donghun fiddled with the keys. As he accidentally dropped the key on the floor with a KLANK, Donghun slowly turned his head to see if he had woken up the man. Instead, he got a jump scare as the man stood beside him. Donghun shrieked and jumped away from the man. His loud shriek made the mystery man flinch and protect his face with his arms. 

‘Wow good work Donghun, you not only embarrassed yourself, but also managed to scare him away’ Donghun thought. 

“God, oh God! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I promise I didn't mean to, I thought you saw me.” The mystery man was shaking as he pulled his hands from his face and wrapped them around himself. He looked down - anywhere - to avoid looking at Donghun. Once Donghun took a step forward, the man took one backwards. 

“Calm down, okay? I’m not mad, I’m just surprised. It’s all fine okay?” After making sure the man understood him, Donghun bent down and took his key from the floor. When he looked up the man was smiling at him, so he smiled to try to make the man more comfortable, but he just looked away instead. Once he pushed the key inside the lock and opened the door he realised that he should ask the man if he wanted to come in, but would that be a good idea? So far they had only talked officially once, and seen each other three times. But he knew he had to do it since he had seen the man sit outside ever since the fight with the other guy. Not that Donghun had spied. He had just checked on the man through the keyhole of his apartment to make sure the latter had eventually removed himself from the floor - which he never had.

“Hey, do you wanna come in?” He was met with a thick silence, that you could cut through with a knife. Before the man got any weird thoughts he knew he had to say something more. “I-It’s just that I have watched you sit here on your own, never moving for two days. Or wait no, now I sound like a creep. I meant that I have observed you from my place to see what you were doing. Wait now I sound like a stalker.” Donghun felt his cheeks heating up, not only had he managed to scare the man but now he had creeped him out. “I’m just gonna be quiet now,” Donghun muttered while scratching his neck. If the tension was awkward before, then nothing could beat this. 

“I would love to.” The man’s voice was barely more than a whisper but it still managed to get Donghun’s heart to skip over several beats. His voice was enough to make Donghun feel like he was blessed, the fact that he had the honour to hear the man’s voice was amazing.

“What? I mean yes, of course umm. Come in!” Donghun opened the door wider and let the man through.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After an hour Donghun had learnt many things about the man. He learnt that his name was Junhee, which in Donghun’s opinion was the prettiest name he had ever heard of. It rolled off Donghun’s tongue beautifully and mesmerised him. It was a pretty name for a pretty man.

He had discovered that the man from the hallway was Junhee’s boyfriend, but Junhee didn’t want to continue on the topic. As soon as Donghun had asked, he had tensed up and wouldn’t look Donghun in the eyes. He put his hands in his lap and made himself as small as possible. Donghun had learnt that the topic off Junhee’s boyfriend was strictly off limits since it made Junhee so uncomfortable. But Donghun couldn’t get it out of his head how stressed and scared Junhee had looked when the subject came up. His whole body had tensed up and the way he was trembling, made scared Donghun. But since he had seen them fight, he wrote it off as Junhee being sad because they had a falling out. He dropped the subject after that, but a small seed of doubt had already started to grow in his head. 

Another thing Donghun had learnt was that Junhee had never played Mario Kart which in his opinion was a shocker. Junhee couldn’t live his life without playing the best game to ever exist! This was how Donghun started to see another side of Junhee and honestly, he loved it. The beautiful man started to seem less like a kicked puppy and more like a strong wolf. Through the night Junhee became more and more talkative and seemed to be more comfortable with Donghun. Junhee even started to crack a few jokes about how he was starting to get better than Donghun at Mario Kart (which was a lie because Junhee still hadn’t gotten a better placing than 7th), but Donghun just played along with the joke. It didn’t matter if his pride got hurt if it meant that he got to see Junhee’s pretty smile. Every time he got to hear Junhee complain about how he was cheating some way to get to first place, hear him laugh and hear him shout in frustration, Donghun only got happier and happier. But it was all broken when Junhee’s phone rang.

In an instant, Junhee tensed up and dropped the phone and then scurried to retrieve it. In the process, he accidentally knocked down a glass of Coke, which in his state he didn’t even notice. The pure look of terror on Junhee’s face worried Donghun. The way his breathing was getting irregular and uncontrollable made Donghun try to reach for Junhee, but the latter pushed himself out of the former’s arms and took the phone into his hands. He slid the call to “accept” and ran out to the hallway. Donghun was right after him, as this state he knew Junhee shouldn't be alone.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, yes I’m an idiot… No no I’m sorry, I’m coming right now, I’m sorry… please.” When Junhee ended the call, he tried to open the door but Donghun wouldn’t let him.

“Please, can you just say what happened? Just a minute ago you were okay. What’s happening?” Donghun tried to touch Junhee, but he just pushed him off. The tears sliding down Junhee’s face worried Donghun, but he knew he had to stay strong to try to figure out what's happening. Junhee wouldn’t look him in the eyes, he kept his focus on his own hands or the door.

“Please please, just let me go.” Junhee was in full panic as he tried to open the door, but to no avail, since Donghun was pushing it closed with his hands. Donghun couldn’t help but notice how small Junhee looked right then. Junhee’s hands were so small next to Donghun’s, he just wanted to take both hands into his and hold him until he was okay again. “I-I need to go now, please! He’s already so mad, please please just let me go.” Junhee was just looking pleadingly at Donghun, but hearing that made Donghun even more sure that he needed to protect him from whatever was on the other side of the door. 

“He? Junhee, who is it? Is it your boyfriend?” This made Junhee look Donghun right in the eyes and that’s when he broke down. The sound of his sobs filled the hallway as he slid down the door. Junhee clung to Donghun’s pant leg and balled his hands up. He looked up at him with pleading eyes.

“Please don’t tell anyone, you really can’t!” Donghun knew he needed to tell someone someday, but to calm down Junhee from his panic, he told him he wouldn’t tell anyone. Donghun sank down to his feet and looked at Junhee. “Can I hug you?” Junhee nodded. That’s how Donghun held Junhee until he cried himself to sleep. 

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“How come he won’t cuddle with us anymore, but he does with our neighbour?” A voice filled the living room. A very annoying voice, Donghun noted when he processed that it belonged to Byeongkwan. Donghun groaned, why couldn’t they shut the fuck up? He had been sleeping comfortably until someone had yanked open the apartment door and turned on the light. He just kept his eyes closed and laid his head on his pillow. The fluffy material sat comfortably against his cheek, the material cuddling against him, as he continued to bury his face down into it. He never knew that they had a fluffy pillow in the living room before, but he was now thankful for it.

“Baby, you are too tiny for him to be able to be little spoon with, so no shit he won't cuddle us.” Only a small wince was heard. Donghun knew that Sehyoon probably had gotten his tricep hit. Donghun opened his eyes and couldn’t help but roll them to the sight that he saw before him. Sehyoon was standing on his toes to appear taller and Byeongkwan had yet to notice, instead he was balling his hands up into small fists trying to prove a point to Sehyoon.

“Hey!! I’m 5’8, that’s technically not small, I’m fun sized!” There were practically fumes coming from Byeongkwan’s ears. 

“Well 5’8 is still lower than the Korean average height, so you are short.” Donghun butted in, lifting himself from the very comfortable position he was laying in. He loved to see how Byeongkwan got when he was frustrated. He had to admit that it was cute. Seeing how Byeongkwan turned his head from Sehyoon to Donghun multiple times, before admitting defeat, walking into the kitchen while pouting, muttering something about “dumb tall people”.   
Before Sehyoon had the time to say anything more about the situation, a voice came from behind Donghun. “Ugh, what time is it?”

When Donghun looked down, he realised that the fluffy pillow he had had his head on was actually Junhee’s t-shirt. If Donghun thought Junhee was beautiful before, then he would have to prepare for what he was about to see. Junhee’s hair was messy and it stood up in weird ways. Junhee had purple bags under his eyes and his face was all bloated from crying. He had dried drool on his cheek and his lips were chapped, but still he looked like an angel. He looked so real, he was himself, he wasn’t over pampered and trying to look like something he wasn't. Instead, he was all natural in that moment. Sure it might not have been the prettiest sight at that moment, but he still made Donghun’s heart beat fast.

“Almost 11 pm, I think or-” Sehyoon was cut off as Junhee took off running towards the apartment door. Donghun had barely processed what had happened in his sleepy state, before the apartment door was slammed shut.


	4. Chapter 4

The fourth time Donghun met Junhee, Junhee pretended that he didn’t know who Donghun was. 

Donghun wasn’t supposed to feel hurt. He understood, something was weird with Junhee’s boyfriend and he wouldn’t dare to make it a bigger issue than it already was. But, watching Junhee extend his hand to introduce himself to Donghun, made his heart break. Seeing that careful smile, not smiling too much, just on the edge of being polite. Seeing how he looked for a sign of consent on his boyfriends face, before he took his hand again, to show ‘I belong to you’. It hurt.  
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It had been a week since Donghun had last seen Junhee and it didn’t give him a good feeling. Every day when he went out, he checked to see if Junhee was sitting outside the door, but he never was. Every day he rang his doorbell, but never got an answer. The only thing that he could do was hope that Junhee was okay. But after seeing how Junhee had run out of the apartment last time, he knew something wasn’t right. 

Donghun had tried to pour out his heart to Sehyoon, but he didn’t know what to say. Junhee had told him to not say anything to anyone and he swore to keep that promise. Even if he thought confiding in Sehyoon could somehow help Junhee, it was more important that Junhee trusted him. Instead of telling Sehyoon, he just laid in his arms, sobbing because he didn't know what to do. He felt like he was doing Junhee wrong. He just wished he knew what to do, but Junhee had told him to not intervene. He felt so useless for just standing aside, just watching as Junhee was treated this way. If he didn’t do anything then things would turn worse, but what would Junhee say? What if the couple was just having a rough time and Donghun accused the boyfriend of abusing Junhee? Junhee would surely never wanna see him again. It would surely just be better to shut up and wait for a clear sign that intervention might be needed. Donghun hoped that it might come sooner than later...  
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Donghun walked into his usual Starbucks. He greeted the man behind the counter, Heejun, who happened to be Donghun’s former boyfriend and college friend, before looking up at the menu. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time before he had to go home again, but he knew it was worth it as the Starbucks wifi was a lot faster than the apartment’s and the coffee actually tasted like something here, quite the opposite from what Byeongkwan called “coffee”. He dragged his gaze from the menu to look at Heejun again. They saw each other every other day as Donghun came to the local Starbucks most days of the week. He couldn’t help but think that Heejun was as beautiful as always. Their short-lived relationship had been a blur of self-doubt. from the fact that both boys and girls flirted with Heejun even when Donghun was around to the fact that Donghun had walked into seeing Heejun and his friend Hangyeom in a very intimate situation. It’s not as if he had been surprised. Heejun and Hangyeom were the two most handsome guys on campus and for a long time, there had been rumours about them hooking up. Donghun and Heejun’s relationship had ended on an awkward note. Donghun had just said ‘Oh! Well um, I guess the relationship is over? Please continue what you two were doing!’ and walked to his dorm and went to bed. Every time they had been in a room together after that, there had always been an awkward tension. But, once Donghun had dropped out of college he didn’t see Heejun for a couple of months. One day when he walked into his local Starbucks he saw him, looking better than ever. They had exchanged numbers and now they were closer than they had ever been (minus the lovey-dovey interactions).

Donghun smiled at Heejun and ordered his usual latte macchiato. He knew that he didn’t have the energy for what he was supposed to do now so a coffee would be for the best. Donghun paid before settling down on a chair by the window. He took his computer from the brown bag and sat it on the table. Looking up, he swept his gaze around the store. This was his favourite spot in the whole store. From this table, he could view over all the other tables as well as the street outside. It was raining hard outside. Even though it was a short walk from the apartment to the cafe, he still managed to be drenched from top to bottom. His hair was plastered to his forehead and he couldn't help but try to push it away. He knew he looked ridiculous when his hair was pushed back, but at least it was better than having water constantly trickling down his face. His clothes were awkwardly plastered against his body and he kept trying to tug at them. There weren’t many patrons in the coffee shop, and for that he was thankful. In his opinion, the worst thing was when there was a constant loud buzzing from other customers. Thankfully many people stayed home today to keep warm and dry. 

Hearing his name being called, he stood up and went to the counter. Taking his latte, he smiled and gave a finger heart to Heejun, who gave him a smack in response. Donghun just gave him a small smirk and laughed before walking back to his table. He was actually in the cafe to do something, but the rain kept distracting him. The way it sounded was like music to Donghun’s ears. The trickling against the window was like a drumbeat and the wind against the leaves was like a whispering voice. It was all too beautiful to not pay attention to. The way it all sounded together was like a symphony. Donghun couldn't help but always hear these things - music was something that was inside of him and it never seemed to go away. It didn’t matter what it was, he always heard it as music. He traced the window with his fingers. He would love to be out there, just standing in the rain, letting it consume him as he got to hear the music close to him. But if he did that, he knew he would probably catch a cold. 

Out of nowhere, he got a slap against the back of his head. “Didn’t you say you were here on a mission?” Heejun smirked at him and pointed at the still unopened laptop. Donghun just gave him a glare in response and sighed at the sight of the computer. He put his head in his hands and let out a whine. It wasn’t his idea to come here, but Byeongkwan had forced him out. Donghun looked at Heejun and gave him a “shoo” sign to show that he was gonna do it, before he opened his computer.

He started sipping on his latte and logged into his computer. Opening the browser he started to search for different entertainment companies. He had found a site that showed entertainments companies that searched for trainees. He knew that his dancing skills wouldn’t gain him much praise, but he wished that his singing skills could at least take him somewhere. He had thought about becoming a trainee for a long time because he loved to sing, but the moment had never been right. Every time he had thought about becoming one, something came up and his shot had passed. As he was scrolling through different offers he found one that stood out particularly. He star-marked it and dragged it into a map called “look into” on his laptop. Byeongkwan had told him that he for now just needed to find some companies he liked, that was what Byeongkwan had done and now he was a trainee for JYP Ent. As he searched for more companies, an AD came up. Just as he was about to close it, he noticed what it was about. It provided a number to call for people who might be abused or have someone they knew who might be abused. Donghun stared at it for a long time before saving the number on his phone. He might have been overreacting, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Satisfied, Donghun stood up and threw away his disposable cup. He had found three different companies he was interested in, Beat interactive, JYP ent. and Bighit, and that had been his goal for the day. Now he could go home and binge-watch Criminal Minds all day. Sehyoon and Byeongkwan were gonna be out all day, so finally, he would be able to be on his own. As he stood to leave the shop, he bid a farewell to Heejun and went outside. The moment he stepped outside, the wind hit him in the face. Inhaling, he took in the scent of rain on recently laid asphalt. He felt high, it was such a wonderful scent and it was something you would only feel in the summer. He knew he should have walked home faster to lower the risk of becoming sick, but the smell and the rain was intoxicating. It made him feel like he never wanted to come down, this was one of the few ways to calm Donghun down. Ever since he was young, he would sit outside in the rain. Back then, It didn’t matter if he got sick, it was always worth it.

As he walked down the street to his apartment, he didn’t expect to bump into Junhee, walking with another man. When Donghun looked closer, he noticed that it was the man from earlier that was mad at Junhee. He could only conclude that this was Junhee’s boyfriend, if the hand holding wasn’t obvious enough. But when Donghun looked closer, he realised they weren’t holding hands. Junhees boyfriend was holding a firm grip on Junhees wrist. Donghun was gonna say something, but Junhee just shook his head and tried to walk away. But his boyfriend wouldn’t let him, instead he just smiled and looked at Donghun from top to bottom. 

“Aren’t you our neighbour?” The man smiled and offered Donghun a handshake. Junhee tensed up, but Donghun just accepted the competition and shook his hand. The firm grip from the man’s hand hurt, but Donghun refused to show it on his face.

“Yeah, I think so.” Donghun couldn’t help but sound irritated, the scene of Junhee freaking out playing inside his head. “I never caught your name.”

“Seojun.” He still didn’t drop Donghun with his gaze. Donghun took the name into his mouth, it sounded disgusting, repulsing in his opinion. It sounded too weird, such a nice name didn’t suit a devil in disguise. Donghun smiled and nodded, he wouldn’t let himself lose this unspoken battle. Seojun held up the hand that he was holding. “And this is my boyfriend Junhee. Introduce yourself.” The small smile that formed on Junhee’s face worried Donghun. It wasn’t his usual, cat-like smile. This time it was timid and polite.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Junhee.” Donghun saw how Junhee looked into the corner of his eyes, to try to sign to Seojun if he had been good. Seojun smiled at him and nodded. Junhee instantly perked up.

“It was nice to meet you Donghun, but we have some errands to run.” Seojun smiled at him and waited until Junhee had bowed, before he dragged him off into the opposite direction. Donghun saw them disappear around the street corner, before he turned around and walked home.


	5. Chapter 5

The fifth time Donghun met Junhee, he begged Junhee to let him help him. But Junhee asked him to stay out of it.   
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Donghun was staring at the number he had saved in his phone. His finger hovered over the screen. On the website “ANONYMOUSLY” was written with big bold letters, but it still made Donghun worried. The thought of someone knowing it was his friend who was going through it, scared him. He knew he was supposed to be strong for Junhee, he was supposed to hold his hand and say ‘We will go through this together.’ But the thought scared him. He was supposed to be the strong one, but he was always laying in his bed, crying. He had read so many guides on the internet which talked about “how to support your friend in an unhealthy relationship”. He had practically burnt all the 10 steps into his mind. Every hour he repeated them in his head to make sure that they would never be forgotten. He had done the same thing with the number. The hotline number showed up everywhere he went, like the world was teasing. It felt like when he was outside the number was just there, haunting him. 

He wanted to call the number so bad. He couldn’t help it, Junhee was his friend and he wanted him to be as happy as possible. What would he even say? Saying; ‘Hey! My neighbour who I have known for roughly two months, seems to be abused by his boyfriend. I have no proof of it ever happening, all I know is that my friend cried and seems scared when you talk about his boyfriend.’ would probably help nothing.

But even if it was nothing, it was at least something and it was at least trying. With that in mind, Donghun took a shaky breath. He thought ‘Here goes all or nothing’, before pressing the number.

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Donghun had already learnt Seojun’s schedule, it took around a week before he had it all figured out. Call Donghun creepy, but he had stood and watched out his keyhole to make sure that he knew what time he could confront Junhee. He knew that Seojun worked every Wednesday for at least seven hours. He would always leave at 7 am and come back at around 3 pm. Donghun made sure to check the clock, it was 7.19 am now and that meant that Seojun had been gone for almost twenty minutes which meant that he could go over to their apartment. With a knot in his stomach, he rang the doorbell. 

After the third buzz, Junhee opened the door. His hair was all over the place and his clothes were ruffled. He was wearing the same hoodie that he had on when they had met for the first time. Junhee still hadn’t washed out the blood from his sweater paw, or maybe it was new blood, who knew. Junhee was barely able to stand, holding himself up by a tight grip on the door. He was sporting a bruise over his cheek and small cut over his lip. Just looking at him, Donghun got angry. In his eyes, Junhee was like an angel. The thought that anybody wanted to hurt such a precious person to Donghun made him all riled up, but he knew he came here on a mission. 

“Can I talk to you?” The sentence was short, but Donghun just didn’t know how to start this off. How could anybody prepare for this kind of a conversation? “Inside that is.” Junhee’s hold on the door got tighter as he threw a look over Donghun’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Seojun doesn’t like strangers in his apartment.” Junhee looked around in the hallway to check that nobody was standing there, listening to their conversation. Donghun felt even worse after hearing Junhee call this Seojun’s apartment, when he knew that they were sharing it. It made Donghun feel like Junhee wasn’t allowed to own it, because he wasn’t in the position to own something. Junhee was just supposed to be owned. He turned towards the door, shutting it so it was almost closed, but not quite. By doing that, his body turned in an unnatural way, which made his hoodie slip down. It revealed another set of bruises along his collarbone. Junhee’s words hurt Donghun, but he knew he shouldn’t take it to heart. He knew that Junhee was probably terrified to think about what Seojun would do if he found out Donghun had been there. The dispatcher that had taken his call from the hotline had told him that.

“Junhee, please. We aren’t strangers, you know that. Even me and Seojun aren’t strangers, we met once. Remember?” Donghun tried to persuade him. He knew this was something important and he couldn’t back down now, he might not have the chance to do this again. Junhee looked at him for a while, before nodding. His hands shook as he pulled his sweater paws further down. Slowly he stretched his arm out so he could open the door wider and let Donghun in.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Walking into the living room, Donghun examined the room. Every picture frame that was supporting the walls were photos of Seojun with family, Seojun with friends, but no photos of Junhee. It was like he didn’t even live there. Looking around the living room, he saw nothing that could indicate that two people could be living there. Everything in the room was about Seojun. Looking around, nobody would guess more than one person lived there. And by the look of Junhee, he seemed to feel the same way.

The room looked like there was no real living thing there. It was just too clean. There were no marks on the beige walls, the floor was spotless and all the pillows on the couches were sat in just the right way. Everything was too perfect to be a place where someone spent their life. But maybe that was the point? Because when things aren’t messy, people think you have your life in check and then they don’t ask questions. If you look perfect, then people won’t see your cracks until they are close enough and they will only get close if you let them. 

The only thing out of place in the room was Junhee. He looked like he didn’t belong there. The way he was standing up and not sitting on the sofa, Donghun could figure it out himself that it was because he wasn’t allowed to make anything dirty. The way his eyes were trailed towards the floor, looking away, making himself as small as possible. It just showed how out of place he was. He could tell that Junhee didn’t feel at home in this place. From the way Junhee kept shifting on his feet, ready to sprint at any needed time, to the way his hands fidgeted.

Once Donghun sat on the couple’s couch, he didn’t know what to say. How do you even start up a conversation like this? Donghun knew what he was going to say would hurt Junhee. He knew it would put him in an uncomfortable situation, but it was something that he needed. He couldn’t just stay on the sidelines and watch anymore. He needed to take control of the situation. Donghun took a shaky breath before readying himself. He couldn’t just start the conversation off too fast, he needed to take a different approach to it.

“Where did you get your bruises from?” Donghun made a vague hand gesture towards Junhee’s cheek. He couldn’t get himself to look into Junhee’s eyes, if he did then he might have cried from the utter look of despair on Junhee’s face. Junhee’s hand went up to his cheek before he cursed. He had accidentally pressed his fingers onto the bruise too hard, a wince could be heard as he fingered the bruise.

 

“You know I’m really clumsy right?” Junhee chuckled, but Donghun saw how it didn’t reach his eyes. “I was on my phone and I accidentally walked into the bathroom door. You know-”  
Junhee was interrupted by Donghun. He couldn’t bear to hear more lies. Donghun had to say it.

“I know that you are being mistreated in your relationship.” The cat was out of the bag, the words he had just said could never be taken back. Junhee had frozen up, his lips were parted. “I have already talked to a hotline and they said you were deemed in the risk zone. I just need you to know that I will support you and that I will help you through this.” Donghun’s hands were shaking. He was scared that he would never have the courage to utter the words out loud, but here he was. There was an awkward pause between them. They stared at each other before Donghun broke away and looked at his hands. They wouldn’t stop shaking, it didn’t matter how much he closed them to fists, it didn’t matter if he pressed his nails into his hands, a light shaking was still there. Donghun changed his focus from his hands to Junhee. He couldn’t determine the look on Junhee’s face. 

“Get out.” It only took two words to make Donghun freeze up. He didn’t know if he had heard what he thought he did. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to proceed what Junhee meant.

“What?” Junhee’s eyes were on fire. His hands were shaking as he stood up. 

“I said Get out. You have no right to say what my relationship is and what it isn’t. You have known me for, what? Two months?” Fume was coming out of Junhee’s every pore. He had started to pace around the living room, as Donghun just stared at him. “Seojun and I have dated for three years. You have only seen what has happened for two months and you think you have the right to tell me what I can and cannot do? You think you get to have that power over me?” 

Taking a pillow from the couch, Junhee threw it at Donghun. Everything Junhee was able to grasp, he took and threw on Donghun. And Donghun just sat there taking it. It didn’t matter how many things Junhee threw, Donghun would be right here, taking it. Junhee sank down on his knees. He pulled his hands up to his face, supporting it as tears flowed down his cheeks.

“I said GET OUT.” It didn’t matter how many times Junhee yelled the two words at him, he would never leave him when he was in need.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After Junhee’s breakdown, they were both just sitting on the floor in silence. Not a single word had been uttered for over one hour, but it felt okay. Junhee finally knew that Donghun knew.

“I don’t think you can help me.” The sadness was evident in Junhee’s voice. His bottom lip was quivering and small beads of sweat were resting on his forehead. “I have put myself in this situation and it was my choice to do it. If I would have left sooner then none of this would have happened. It’s not like he chains me to the wall when he goes to work. I have a choice to if I want to leave or not.” Donghun just sighed and continued to stare up into the ceiling. He had never been the best with his words, that was always Sehyoon’s strong part.

“But he didn’t need chains to restrict you. Emotional abuse was enough for him to keep you here. It’s the utter feeling of helplessness and fear that kept you here.” Looking over to Junhee, Donghun could see that light tears were flowing down his cheeks. 

“Why am I always so fucking weak?” Junhee’s voice was shaking. The tears that were sliding down his face were dripping onto the dark floor. Sitting up, Donghun scooted over to sit beside Junhee. Taking Junhee’s hand in his, Donghun pressed his lips to it. “Just know that I’m here for you, okay? You need to decide if you can leave this apartment today or if you need time to mentally prepare. Just do whatever you feel like is the best for you.”

“I-I… I need to do it now. I can’t bear to stay.” Junhee’s breath was shaky and his palms were sweaty. Slowly he turned his head towards Donghun and looked down on their intertwined hands. “Please”.


	6. Chapter 6

The forty-sixth time Donghun met Junhee, he couldn’t help but feel the love he felt for Junhee, spread through his whole body. Seeing Junhee look more and more like he did the first time he stepped into Donghun’s apartment. His cheeks getting rounder and his eyes getting their light back. It was the prettiest sight Donghun had ever seen. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Today was the day Donghun finally could meet Junhee again. It had been a week since the last time they were able to look each other in the eyes. It didn’t seem much, but when Donghun was laying alone in the dark, without Junhee cuddled up next to him, it really felt lonely. Pushing his hands to his face, he shook his head. He shouldn’t be blushing like this when he was on the bus, but he couldn’t help it when he thought of Junhee. The man had completely intoxicated him and there was no way he could go back now. Every minute of the day, Donghun spent looking at the clock, wishing for the seconds to go faster so he could see his Junhee. A shiver went through him. The thought of being able to call Junhee his was something he had hoped for a long time now. These past three months had been bad, but the thought of seeing Junhee finally happy and free made him push forward. That man’s smile could cure any world problems.

Sadly ever since Junhee had been transported to a safe house, he and Donghun had barely had any time to meet. Junhee wasn’t allowed to have his phone anymore since Seojun might try to contact him on his old number, so instead he had to have a disposable cell phone which could only handle phone calls and no texting. Because of this, they would spend hours just listening to each other's voices, falling asleep to each other’s breaths. Donghun’s nights would often end with him singing for Junhee, making sure that he was asleep, before he whispered a small ‘I love you’ and hung up. Both of them knew Junhee wasn’t ready to start a relationship yet, and that was fine with Donghun. As long as the man was in his life, it didn’t matter if Junhee was his friend or lover. The fact that he had gotten the opportunity to spend his time with Junhee was a privilege enough. 

Because of the safe house’s strict rules, they could only meet in underground garages. Sure they didn’t make great date places but as long as they had each other, it was fine. It didn’t matter if the smell of gasoline stuck to their clothes and filled their senses, it didn’t matter if the small scent of urine kept reminding them of where they were. As long as they had each other, it was fine. Knowing that one day Seojun would be completely out of their lives, never to bother them again, made both of them push forward. Knowing that one day they would be able to go to drive-in movies, go on picnics and go out for dinner together made both of them happy. Sure there might be some months until that happens. But it was all worth it if Junhee was safe.

Looking out the bus window, Donghun couldn’t help but smile. The fact that he was able to see Junhee today, made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. It was worth so much more than winning the lottery, seeing Junhee was worth losing all the money in the world. Knowing that Junhee was safe, without anyone hurting him, was the best feeling in the world. That feeling was able to take his hunger and his pain away, it was able to keep him calm. 

Looking up he realised he needed to get off the bus or else he would have to walk an extra ten minutes to get to the garage, meaning he would be late. Pushing up from his seat, he stumbled down the aisle before throwing himself out the door, barely making it out before the door closed behind him. Looking down on his hands, he cursed as he realised he had forgotten the flowers he had bought on the bus. Shaking his head, he took his phone out and looked at the time. He had a five minute walk ahead of him and he was already two minutes late to the meeting. Either he had to walk to the garage at a normal pace, making him nearly ten minutes late, or he could sprint and make it, barely 4 minutes late, meaning he would have more time with Junhee. Sighing he put his phone into his bag and prepared himself to sprint. What wouldn’t he do to meet Junhee?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Donghun came to stop in front of the other man, he was a sweating mess. He bent down, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Junhee was sitting on a portable chair, just staring at Donghun. A fond smile was playing over his lips, his eyes shining as he scanned the man. Junhee raised his hand and dragged it through his hair, pushing the slowly growing bangs from his eyes. His brown roots had started to show on top of his head, meanwhile his blonde locks were fading. One step to move into the safe house had been that they tried to change some small things about Junhee, so he looked less recognisable. Of course, Donghun loved the blonde hair on Junhee, but he couldn’t help but miss the black locks that used to bring out his eyes. The way that his black hair used to make his melanin pop out even more. But it didn’t matter if Junhee’s hair was black, mustard yellow, period red or if he was bald, Donghun would still think he was as beautiful as ever.  
Donghun looked up and gave Junhee a lazy smile. Standing up fully, Donghun stretched his back before standing against a cement pillar. He wouldn’t make the mistake of sitting down on the garage floor again since last time he had sat down in an undefinable sauce, that he still to this day has no interest in knowing what it was. Junhee had laughed so much that he almost fell to the floor, but instead Donghun was there, holding him up and tickling him. To Donghun it didn’t matter if the other man laughed at him and made fun of him, it just made him happy seeing Junhee comfortable enough to be able to joke freely.

A hand holding his, made Donghun snap out of his daydream. Instead in front of him was Junhee with a questioning look. He cocked his head to one side and looked at Donghun. He kept blinking his eyes, trying to figure out what had made Donghun zone out. The man had stared at him with a fond smile, not letting him go with his gaze, but at the same time, he wasn’t there.

“Why did you zone out?” Fiddling with Donghun’s hand, Junhee tugged on it. Donghun’s hands were pretty. His long fingers were warm and safe, he knew they wouldn't do him any harm. It was the exact opposite of Seojun’s hands. His hands used to be cold and rough. They were never as soft as Donghun’s, they never made him feel as safe. Seeing Seojun’s hands in front of him would always scare him, it always meant that he had done something wrong. Seeing Seojun’s hands hold Junhee’s hands had always scared him, he had always been scared of being hit when his hands were out in the open. Donghun’s hands were the opposite. They only brought love, comfort and safety.

“I saw your beautiful face and I couldn’t help but admire it.” Hearing those words, made Junhee blush before he lightly hit Donghun’s bicep. Junhee pulled Donghun towards him and engulfed him in a hug, hiding his head in Donghun’s neck. It was both a way to hide his blush from Donghun and also to bring himself comfort. Because Donghun made him feel safe.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sitting in bed, Donghun couldn’t help but smile when his phone lit up. Accepting the call, he settled down into a comfortable position before saying a soft “Hey”. Donghun pulled his hands down his stomach, before he grabbed the end of his t-shirt, rolling the edge around his fingers. He looked down on his fingers, waiting for a response from the other man. 

“Hey..” The voice on the other end sounded unsure and small. Donghun knew exactly what kind of night this was gonna end as. Donghun could never mentally prepare himself for what kind of day Junhee would have had. Days when Junhee had seen someone or heard someone that seemed like Seojun were worse. Days, when Junhee was able to go a full day without getting triggered, were the better ones. It meant that Junhee would be confident and feel safe with himself. But it wasn’t one of those days today. Composing himself, Donghun took his time to make sure Junhee didn’t get freaked out. Needing to avoid Junhee’s triggers were never a problem, but sometimes he would slip up.

“How are you holding up?” Simple phrases were always the easiest for Junhee. Not too much to answer and it wasn’t too overwhelming. A soft yawn was heard and Donghun couldn’t help but smile. It didn’t matter what Junhee did, everything was adorable. From the way he smiled to the way he looked when he was concentrating. Junhee was like a safe haven.

“I can’t focus. Donghun… I see him everywhere.” A sigh was heard from the other side of the phone. Donghun could only imagine how Junhee looked right now. Days like this Junhee used to be curled up on the sofa, watching a Disney movie to keep his mind occupied. He would wear his big grey hoodie, the one Donghun had gotten him after finding out his favourite kpop group was A.C.E. The hood would be pulled up and his round glasses would probably be on, slipping down his nose at this exact moment. “ I just wanna sleep it all away, but I can’t even sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see him staring down at me. I see his hands coming closer, coming for my neck. I see his cold gaze piercing me and holding me down.” A whimper was heard from Junhee, and then a deep breath. “Can you just … Please sing for me?”

Donghun didn’t wanna admit it, but his favourite thing to do was singing Junhee to sleep. Even though it mostly happened on days when Junhee felt bad, it still made him feel good knowing he was able to help Junhee in some kind of way. Knowing that just maybe he was able to chase all Junhee’s bad thoughts away for a second was enough for him to sing for him forever. Donghun cleared his throat before he started to sing. 

“The words that you said before  
I couldn't understand it  
You were always smiling back then  
But I could see loneliness in you

Please don't stop your tears  
It's okay  
You & Me

That heavy thing on your shoulders  
Please put it down for a while  
You hear me

My voice for you  
Can you feel it?  
If it's not too late  
I hope my heart can reach you”

When Donghun finished the song, he couldn’t help but smile as he heard Junhee’s soft breaths through the phone. Donghun was completely whipped for the other man. By this point, he would do anything to make the other man happy. It didn’t matter if Junhee wanted him to do something illegal or immoral, Donghun would still do it if it meant Junhee would be happy and content. Looking at the clock, he realised it was nearly 1 am. It would be better to end the call now so he could get a good night’s rest. Picking up the phone, he breathed in before saying a soft “I love you” to the man on the other side.

And for the first time, he got a response.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to say that I in no way intend to romanticize abusive relationships and if you take it as that way then I'm sorry. This fanfic is purely about me wanting to write off everything my family and especially my sister has been through the last five years.


End file.
